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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Another Right Tool

I learned about Freedom from a writing friend who extolled it’s virtues. It’s a small tool, a simple tool. All it does is keep you from going on the Internet for a given period of time.

There are times this is really useful – like when I’m so not in the mood to be at my desk, but my scheduled writing/editing time is staring at me in the face. Sometimes I have to trick myself into productivity, and Freedom fits into my strategy. When I really want to be out playing in the sunshine, or there is a pile of non-desk related stuff to do, I let myself off the hook by turning on the Freedom application for a mere forty minutes (you can choose as little as fifteen minutes or as long as eight hours). Then I work until the dialog box comes up that says my “Freedom session” is over, and I get up and … go take a walk or fold a pile of laundry or run to the store or work in the yard or prep dinner or make a few phone calls … or get online.

For twenty minutes.

Then I start all over again. With breaks built in like that, I have more stamina for all the different tasks, and often I’ll find the work sessions expand well beyond forty minutes.

Other tricks? Go to the library which has an unsecured Internet connection so I just turn off the wi-fi on my computer (one hacking experience was enough to make me a believer).

And there is yet another very useful tool that nixes the temptation to get on the Internet:

I live in Colorado and write culinary and gardening mysteries as Bailey Cates, Bailey Cattrell, and Cricket McRae. Here you'll find a little book news, a lot of recipes, and musings on the writing life.